A Watch to Remember
by wolfswimmer
Summary: (revamped) After a hunt, John, Sam, and Dean find themselves at Bobby's house. Only, as they will come to find out, this isn't a normal visit. Bobby shows them a disk, which mysteriously found its way to Bobby, and it just so happens to be about the Winchester's themselves. (AKA Sam, Dean, John, and Bobby watch Supernatural)
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note 1: So, to anyone who happened to read my story that was up here originally "A Watch to Remember", I decided to restart it. Same premise, mostly same episodes. (If you want to know what happened to the other one, check down at author's note 2)**

 **P.S. first person (with alternating views) or third person? I'm fine with either, both are fun!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own this, never will.**

There have been very few times in John Winchester's life that he has been really, truly lost. First, was when his wife died. When someone that you loves dies, it leaves a hole inside. Sure, over time, it may start to heal, but the scar still remains. Of course, there have been other times where John Winchester has felt this way, but never to the extent of those years after her death. But now, he felt as if he were traveling down that path again.

Dean sat next to him, staring out the window. His face remained still, unchanging. Sam was in the back, mirroring him. There was a light tune that played in the background, but nothing else. It just didn't feel like the time to be playing old rock music.

John pulled onto the old gravel road that lead to Bobby's place, and steadied himself as the Impala bounced around over the slightly larger bits that strayed into the path. It had just been a hunt, a routine one if fact. But, like always, things don't go as they should. Words were spoken, things were said, things that John deemed to not be repeated. It wasn't as if they had never fought before, because, they definitely had, but this felt different. The lines were blurred between angry lashing and sincere truths, leaving the arguments a lot more deadly.

Dean shifted in his seat, propping himself up on the window, watching as they traveled slowly past the window. It was the only home he knew of, not that he really considered it a home, more as a more permanent option of resting.

When they pulled by the house, everyone in the car immediately perked up. Bobby stood by the front door, watching them with a solemn look, which everyone knew could not be good.

"John. Boys. I have something to show you," Bobby curtly said as they got out of the car, shoes crunching the gravel. Sam and Dena both glanced at each other, even in the midst of their fight, they still remained close.

"What is it?" John said, clutching one of his bags in one hand and dragging it into the house, which Sam and Dean also did, each greeting Bobby in their own way. Everyone parted their own way, situating themselves in the house before they all shuffled their ways back to Bobby, who held the same look on his face as when they had first arrived.

"Now, let me first start off by saying that I have no idea how this got here-"

"What got here?" Dean cut him off.

"It's kind of hard to explain, it's best to just show you. But, you have to prepare yourselves."

"Why?" John huffed out, a little sharper than he intended to.

"Because, I'm not entirely sure what we're about to watch, but something tells me it ain't good."

"What makes you say that?" John said, glancing around the room, looking for whatever Bobby seemed to be talking about.

"Because, I made it through the first thirty seconds before I realized that it was not meant for my eyes." John raised an eyebrow and gruffly motioned for Bobby to show him what he was talking about which Bobby only answered with a mild eye roll. "I would recommend you find yourself somewhere comfortable to sit, this might take a while."

"And what exactly is this?" Dean said, which only resulted from an elbow jab from Sam, who glared at Dean, murmuring something about 'just wait' or 'stop being impatient'. Dean didn't reply, which Sam frowned at, but didn't say anything more.

"I think it's best to just show." Bobby said, inserting in a disk before returning over to a recliner that sat adjacent to a couch that had obviously seen better years. John sat down on the far left, followed by dean to his right, and Sam, who after seeing that there was no other empty seating, huffed and plopped down, scooting as far away from the rest of his family as he could.

There was a noise on the screen, and everyone in the room glanced upwards at it, staring at the television.

 **The word "SUPERNATURAL" flashed up on the screen in large letter. It faded, and "Lawrence, Kansas 22 years ago" replaced it. Classic nighttime noises were audible in the background. A house replaced the darkness.**

"Is that?" Dan began, frowning only slightly so. Nobody answered him, it didn't need to be answered.

"Bobby, where did you get this from?" John and Sam both nodded in agreement, everyone's past grievance temporarily forgotten.

"Just woke up to it lying on my counter. Obviously it's a whole lot more than a simple disk." Dean and John both shared nervous looks.

 **"Come on, let's say goodnight to your brother." A woman said, her voice soft. A woman appeared, now apparent as Mary Winchester holding a four year old Dean. They were in a nursery of some sort.**

"Mary…" John murmured, eyes blinking in surprise at the scene beforehand. How was this even possible? To have a memory played out before you, almost like a TV show, mocking the pain you were caused in some sick sort of entertainment. Dean remained still next to him, his breath apparently caught in his throat. The room was uncomfortably silent.

 **An infant, presumably Sam, laid in the crib. Mary put Dean down, and the little boy ran over to the crib, kissing baby Sammy on the forehead.**

 **"Night Sam."**

 **"Goodnight love," Mary whispered, one arm on Dean and the other hand was brushing through Sam's hair, and proceeded to lean down and kiss Sam on the forehead, much like how Dean had done.**

Sam looked at the screen, eyes melancholy. He knew that that baby was him, but it didn't feel like it. It felt as if he were watching another families lives, one full of love and affection, one that had died before he got a chance to be a part of.

 **"Hey Dean," John Winchester said, standing by the doorway, watching his family.**

 **"Daddy!" Dean yelled happily, running to his father, who picked him up easily.**

Sighing, John looked over towards his oldest, whose face remained stoic. It had been years since Dean had come for him for any comfort at all, and he could understand. Dean followed after him, feel, bury, hide, forget, repeat. It made his heart hurt to see just how much he had lost, and just how fast.

 **"Hey buddy! So what do you think? You think Sammy's ready to toss around a football yet" Dean shook his head forcefully, laughing as he did so.**

 **"No daddy."**

 **John laughed also, "No."**

Dean sat rigid. He remembered this night perfectly. Out of all of the nights to remember with perfect detail, it had to be this one. Based on how John was fidgeting, he could tell that he remembered it too. Grimacing, Dean glance over at Sam, who seemed to be fascinated by the whole thing. Sam had been saved by not remembering what happened that night, and that was one of the few things that Dean was grateful for.

"Wait," Dean found himself saying, "This wasn't twenty two years ago, it was sixteen? What is this?" Bobby shook his head, obviously just as confused as he was.

 **"You got him?" Mary asked, stopping before exiting into the hallway, one hand on John's arm.**

 **"I got him," John replied, a smile apparent on his face as he looked into the crib, hugging his other son close by. Sam lay in his crib, and the camera panned up, focusing on his mobile, which began to spin. The clock stopped ticking and the lights flickered.**

"Oh," Sam said, as if the situation had just registered to him. He gave a worried glance to the other two Winchesters, whose hands gripped the couch tightly, white knuckles imitating the other. Bobby was the only person who looked at him when he said that, and his eyes were filled with sympathy. Apparently he was the last person to figure out what was going on in this group.

 **The scene changed. Mary awoke to the sounds of Sam who had just begun to cry. She turned the light on rolled over sleepily. "John?" She called. Mary, who realized her husband was not in bed, climbed up and exited.**

 **Mary walked down the hallway and peered into the nursery. A figure stood by the crib, leaning over.**

 **"John? Is he hungry?" The figure turned, still not apparent who it was and shushed her.**

"That's… That's not me?" John said, almost as if he were confused, like he didn't know exactly what happened that night. "That's not me…" He repeated, almost in a pleading way, and Sam glanced over at him, biting his lip in indecision, torn between the need to comfort his family and not interrupting whatever was going on.

 **"Alright," Mary said, heading back down the hallway. A flickering lightbulb caught her attention. She walked towards it, tapping the glass before the light steadied. Another flickering light was downstairs, and she walked towards it, only to find John asleep in front of the TV. Instantly understanding, she ran back upstairs, calling out Sam's name.**

It was as if the whole room was silently willing Mary to turn around, but she didn't. They stared in odd fascination at the screen, as if they were actually there, as if they weren't merely watching it on an old, beat up screen.

 **John startled awake. He scrambled out of his chair and ran up the stairs, calling out for his wife. All was quiet, except for Sam, who lay awake in his crib.**

 **"Hey Sammy, you okay?" He asked, before his eye caught something. Something dark dropped near Sam, and John reached his hand out, only to find more of the substance on his hand. John looks up, finding Mary pinned to the ceiling, her stomach crimson.**

It was as if they were stuck watching a horror movie, except these things were real. Dean looked around him, trying to find a place for his eyes to rest other than his dying mother pinned on a ceiling. Sam looked sick, his face was ashen grey and his lips were slightly parted, almost as if he were silently gasping. Bobby looked sorrowful, and John, well John was a different story. He looked angry, not at Mary, but at himself. Dean was vaguely aware of John murmuring something along the lines of 'I could've done something' but Dean remained silent.

 **Mary exploded into flames, and the room was soon engulfed. John grabbed his son and rushed out of the room. Dean, who had just awoken, yelled for his dad.**

 **"Take your brother outside as fast as you can. Now Dean, go!" Dean, who was now holding Sam, ran out, while John turned around to look at the nursery, still calling out for Mary.**

Sam gave Dean a questioning look, almost as if to ask 'why didn't you tell me?' but didn't voice it, seeing as though everyone else in the room sat in stony, rigid silence, sitting in a plastic pose as they all stared at the screen. No one acknowledged the other's reactions.

 **"It's okay Sammy," Dean said, stopping before John ran out, scooping up his sons and running away.**

 **"I gotcha," John assured. The house exploded into flames.**

 **The scene switched, taken later that night to a view of firefighters spraying the house, yelling at one another. John and Dean sat on the car, away from the house, and John held Sam close, looking upwards.**

It was at that moment that Sam began to understand what had happened. Sure, he had heard stories about it, but to actually see it, to experience it? That was something else. The room was silent, besides the next flash of sound and light that came from the TV. Sam thought he saw a glassy look in John's eyes, but nothing else. It was as if everyone was numb.

 **"Stanford University – Present Day"**

 **Author's note 2: So, a couple months ago, I had a cleansing. Took down an email account, deleted all of the stories on my original account, and all of the documents relating to it. Lately, I've decided I wanted to restart it, so, I had to rewrite everything. As those of you who remember my other stories, I did the script in a strange manner, but I've decided to just write it out like this.**

 **If I should continue, please tell me!**


	2. Chapter 2

**"Stanford University – Present Day"**

"So what exactly is 'present day'," Sam said, a slight gleam in his eyes as he did so. If this was going to be him in the future, that meant that he actually got out of this life. Not that he really wanted to leave his family, but this just wasn't him. He didn't really fit in with his family. He was a studier, a researcher, and that only goes so far in the hunting world. Sure, he could hold his own weight in a fight, but that didn't mean he wanted to, nor did it mean that he was the best at it.

"I'm assuming it's six years from now, like Dean said before, it was sixteen years ago, not twenty two. Which would make you boys twenty six and twenty two," Bobby said, being the first to acknowledge Sam. Dean huffed, slightly annoyed that Sam had completely ignored his statement before, but said nothing else.

 **"Sam!" A young woman yelled. She was dressed in a sexy nurse's outfit, and was adjusting the hat that went along with it. "Get a move on, would ya? We were supposed to be there fifteen minutes ago."**

Dean stared at Sam incredulously and let a snicker escape from his lips. "Good going Sammy!" He said, eyeballing the screen appreciatively, which only resulted with a sharp glare from Sam.

John sat still, in an almost confused way. This wasn't their life, Sam wasn't going to go to college, right? Sure, he had seemed unhappy at times, but would he really leave his family like that?

 **Sam peeked around the corner. "Do I have to?"**

 **"Yes," Jess said, laughing, "It'll be fun!" Sam walked around the corner, now making it visible that he wasn't wearing any costume.**

"When'd you get that tall, Sammy," Dean said, and although his tone was humorous, a slight twinge of annoyance peeked through. Sam glanced over at him, smirking a little, before he proceeded to chuckle a little, breaking the ever so stony atmosphere that remained in the room.

 **"And where is your costume?" Jess questioned as Sam walked over to her.**

 **"You know how I feel about Halloween," Sam replied.**

John could only nod in agreement. Halloween just wasn't as fun when you were wondering about whether that person walking down the street is a man wearing fake fur and fake ears or a werewolf coming to tear through a town.

"Did you tell her?" Dean whispered to Sam, who gave him a look almost as if saying 'are you kidding me'.

"How am I supposed to know any of this?" Dean merely shrugged.

 **The scene changed to various people all sporting a different monster costume at some party. Jess raises her glass as a young guy walks up, dressed in his own costume.**

 **"So here's to Sam and his awesome LSAT victory!"**

"LSAT? Isn't that law school?" Dean asked, tilting his head slightly towards Sam, who nodded enthusiastically. Apparently this law school dream didn't just come out of the blue. John frowned slightly, watching the exchange, however, he remained silent.

 **"All right, all right, it's not that big of a deal!" Sam says.**

 **"Yeah, he acts all humble, but he scored a 174." Both Sam and the man drink their shots.**

Dean gave Sam a sideways glance at this, and Sam had a small smirk on his lips. His eyes held a gleam that Dean hadn't seen in a long time, not in the past few years. He only had seen that with a few things, like school, friends, sports… normality. It was the same gleam that their Dad got when he hunted.

 **"Is that good?" The man asks.**

 **"Scary good," Jess replies.**

 **"So there you go. You are first round draft pick. You can go to any law school you want," the man says.**

 **"Actually, I got an interview here, Monday. If it goes well, I think I got a shot at a full ride next year," Sam replies.**

"If Sam's here, living the apple-pie life, where are we?" Dean asked, not to anyone in particular. John couldn't help but agree with the statement, though. This had only been about the past and Sam so far. Were they even alive in the future?

 **"Hey. It's gonna go great."**

 **"It better."**

 **"How does it feel to be the golden boy of your family?" the man, Luis, asks.**

"Golden boy?" Dean laughed. Sam jabbed him in the ribs with his elbow, feigning an annoyed look. The tensions in the room had gone down, but they weren't entirely gone.

 **"Ah, they don't know," Sam replies.**

"What?" John said for the first time in a while. Every one of the hunters turned to look at him, slightly surprised at his outburst, not that they weren't surprised by the fact that nobody knew, they were surprised by the hurt in John's voice. Usually, he was on guard, never letting his mask slip.

 **"Oh no, I would be gloating! Why not?"**

 **"Because we're not exactly the Brady's," Sam said with a slight chuckle.**

 **"And I'm not exactly the Huxtables. More shots?" Both Sam and Jess say know, but the man doesn't listen, and returns to the bar anyways.**

 **"No, seriously. I'm proud of you. And, you're gonna knock em' dead on Monday and you're gonna get a full ride. I know it," Jess said, smiling.**

John smiled a little, although he didn't really approve of the lifestyle Sam was living, he was happy for him. Apparently he had managed to escape, and without any major repercussions.

 **"What would I do without you?" Sam asks, a smile tugs on his lips.**

 **"Crash and Burn."**

The whole room cringed.

 **The scene changes to that of an apartment. Sam and Jess are both asleep on the bed. There's a sound outside, and Sam awake, leaving the bedroom. He sees a window open, and by the look of his face, it had been closed before. Another noise is heard, and a man is seen walking by the door. Sam moves to another part of the apartment. The man enters, and Sam attacks him, lunging foreward. The two fight, seemingly equally matching, blocking and dealing out punches. But, eventually the man knocks Sam onto the ground, pinning him.**

 **"Whoa, easy tiger," the man says.**

 **"Dean? You scared the crap outta me!"**

"Still better than you, I see," Dean said, a small beam of pride in his chest. He was glad that he at least was still a better fighter than Sam, even if he was smarter… Or taller.

 **"Tha's 'cause you're out of practice." Dean replies. In reaction, Sam manages to show Dean to the floor and out of his hold. "Or not. Get off of me."**

"I guess not."

 **"What the hell are you doing here?" Sam asks.**

 **"Well, I was looking for a beer."**

 **"What the hell are you doing here?" Sam repeats.**

"Not so happy to see me, I see," Dean said, but the same humor was lost somewhere in his voice. Sam looked at him, and opened his mouth to say something, but thought against it. This didn't have to be their future, right? Somehow, they had the opportunity to see it, so they had the chance to fix it, too. Right?

 **"Okay, all right, we gotta talk."**

 **"Uh, the phone?"**

 **"If I'd'a called, would you have picked up?" Dean replies, pointedly. Jess walks into the room then, looking tired.**

"Is it really going to be that bad?" Dean asked.

"How do we even know that this is what's going to happen?" Sam said.

"It seems pretty believable."

"And what about it makes it believable?" Sam said, and Dean only glanced at him, blinking slowly, as if he thought the answer was too obvious.

 **"Sam?" she asks, and both the brothers turn and look.**

 **"Jess. Hey," Sam says, sounding slightly surprised," Dean, this is my girlfriend, Jessica." Dean looks over at her, smiling.**

 **"Wait, your brother Dean?" Jess asks, and Dean nods.**

"Hey, she knows who you are," Sam said, trying to reassure his brother, who smiled lightly, but it didn't nearly reach his eyes.

 **"Oh, I love the Smurfs. You know, I gotta tell you. You are completely out of my brother's league."**

 **"Just let me put something on," she says.**

 **"No, no, no, I wouldn't dream of it," Dean says, the smile still present, "seriously."**

Bobby rolled his eyes fondly, but didn't say a word. This wasn't his place to butt in **.**

 **Author's note: So, kind of short chapter, but I wanted to get something out there to let you guys know that I wasn't giving up on this story. A special thanks to DaineQueentheNavyRaven, Vanvander, cyenthia 30, JudithRose26, karidal, Tindra9090, Alilie, Tempermental18, and RealityXIllusion for their awesome reviews. I will try to post at least once a week during the school year and more over the summer. I have a few episodes in mind for the rest of season 1, but what do you guys want?**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: So its summer time and I'm back! I had to prioritize school work over this : ( So I should be updating slightly more frequently now!**

 **DISCLAIMER: I don't own Supernatural or any of its characters. Script and characters do not belong to me.**

 **Dean goes back over to Sam without taking his eyes off Jess. Sam watches him, his expression stony.**

 **"** **Anyway, I gotta borrow your boyfriend here, talk about some private family business," Dean said, "But, uh, nice meeting you."**

 **"** **No," Sam interceded. Sam goes over to Jess and puts an arm around her. "No, whatever you want to say, you can say it in front of her."**

"Does she know?" Dean asked again, mostly to himself. He glanced over at Sam, who merely shook his head once more. He wasn't surprised, he was mostly talking to himself, but it still annoyed him that nobody bothered to even acknowledge him.

 **"** **Okay," Dean said slowly, turning towards them to look at them both straight on. "Um. Dad hasn't been home in a few days."**

An uneasiness spread across the room, painting all of the hunters' faces. They all knew that whatever was going on, wasn't good.

 **"** **So he's working overtime on a Miller Time shift. He'll stumble back in sooner or later," Sam said. Dean ducks his head and looks back up.**

"Wow, Sammy," Dean said, lightness somewhat in his voice, but it was also coupled with confusion. Why would Sam write off dad being missing so easily?

"What?" Sam said, but after that, kept his mouth pursed shut.

 **"** **Dad's on a hunting trip. And he hasn't been home in a few days," Dean said. Sam's expression doesn't change while he takes this in. Jess glances up at him.**

Dean and Sam glanced over at John, whose forehead was creased ever so slightly, the only sign of discomfort evident on his face.

 **"** **Jess, excuse us. We have to go outside."**

 **OUTSIDE APARTMENT**

 **INT. STAIRWELL – NIGHT**

 **Sam and Dean head downstairs. Sam has put on clothes by now, and is wearing a hoodie and some jeans.**

 **"** **I mean, come on. You can't just break in, middle of the night, and expect me to hit the road with you," Sam said.**

 **"** **You're not hearing me, Sammy. Dad's missing. I need you to help me find him."**

 **"** **You remember the poltergeist in Amherst? Or the Devil's Gates in Clifton? He was missing then, too. He's always missing, and he's always fine." Dean stops and turns around. Sam stops too.**

John recognized only one of the instances, the poltergeist. Nasty hunt, but everybody ended up safe in the end. A small part of him told him that this wasn't the case this time, however. There had to be some reason that they were being shown this, and it probably wasn't a good one. But that led him to the bigger question, why exactly were they being shown this, and at this time?

 **Not for this long. Now are you gonna come with me or not?" Dean questioned.**

 **"** **I'm not."**

 **"** **Why not?"**

"Yeah, Sam," John said, but there was no contempt in his voice, just hollowness. He cast an eye over to Sammy, just in time to catch a small flash of guilt over his eyes.

 **"** **I swore I was done hunting. For good," Sam replied, bluntly.**

Dean blinked, unsurprised. Sam hadn't exactly been quiet in his opinion on hunting, and seeing that he had gotten away, he imagined it wouldn't be a temporary fix.

 **"** **Come on. It wasn't easy, but it wasn't that bad." Dean starts downstairs again. Sam follows.**

 **"** **Yeah? When I told Dad I was scared of the thing in my closet, he gave me a .45," Sam said. Dean stops at the door to the outside.**

Bobby sent a mild glare John's way, who blatantly ignored him, keeping his eyes centered on the screen. A tinge of pink fluttered to his cheeks, but that was his only response.

 **"** **Well, what was he supposed to do?"**

 **"** **I was nine years old! He was supposed to say, don't be afraid of the dark," Sam protested.**

Both screen Dean and real Dean turned and looked at Sam incredulously. "Are you serious?" Dean asked, a scoff apparent in his voice.

 **"** **Don't be afraid of the dark? Are you kidding me? Of course you should be afraid of the dark. You know what's out there."**

"Damn straight," Dean said.

 **"** **Yeah, I know, but still. The way we grew up, after Mom was killed, and Dad's obsession to find the thing that killed her." Dean glances outside, not replying. "But we still haven't found the damn thing. So we kill everything we can find."**

"Obsession?" John asked, a little offended.

"Dad, you have to remember that this really isn't me," Sam said, slowing his words, trying to emphasize the importance behind them, and of course, everybody understood that in the back of their minds, but there was truth that rang to every word and action that occurred on the screen. As impossible as it might've seemed, this was them.

 **"** **We save a lot of people doing it, too," Dean says. Sam doesn't say anything for a few moments.**

 **"** **You think Mom would have wanted this for us?" Dean rolls his eyes and slams the door open.**

Dean and John bristled.

 **EXT. PARKING LOT – NIGHT**

 **There's a short flight of stairs from the door to the parking lot. Dean and Sam climb it.**

 **"** **The weapon training, and melting the silver into bullets? Man, Dean, we were raised like warriors," Sam says. They cross the parking lot to the Impala.**

"There's nothing wrong with that, Sammy," Dean said, almost sounding sad that he had to defend his life.

"Maybe for you," Sam muttered to himself.

 **"** **So what are you gonna do? You're just gonna live some normal, apple pie life? Is that it?" Dean seems slightly annoyed now.**

 **"** **No. Not normal. Safe."**

John shook his head. It wasn't safe. Nobody is safe in this world. It's not as if monsters go after only hunters, civilians get caught in the cross hairs too. The boys knew that, especially after this last hunt.

 **"** **And that's why you ran away." Dean looks away.**

Dean pursed his lips.

 **"** **I was just going to college. It was Dad who said if I was gonna go I should stay gone. And that's what I'm doing," Sam said, defending himself.**

"What?" Dean said, immediately jumping to his brother's defense. "Why would you say something like that?" John looked taken aback, but Sam appeared unsurprised, which worried John even more.

 **"** **Yeah, well, Dad's in real trouble right now. If he's not dead already. I can feel it." Sam is silent.**

 **"** **I can't do this alone," Dean says.**

Dean looked ashamed, and only Bobby noticed this, and let out a sigh as he stared at John.

 **"** **Yes you can," Sam said. Dean looks down, almost embarrassed.**

Dean frowned again at the strained relationship that the future Sam and Dean had, sure they weren't always on the best of terms, but they always were willing to fight for one another, not just leave them.

 **"** **Yeah, well, I don't want to." Sam sighs and looks down, thinking, then up.**

 **"** **What was he hunting?" Dean opens the trunk of the Impala, then the spare-tire compartment. It's an arsenal. He props the compartment open with a shotgun and digs through the clutter.**

 **"** **All right, let's see, where the hell did I put that thing?" Dean mutters to himself.**

 **"** **So when Dad left, why didn't you go with him?"**

 **"** **I was working my own gig. This, uh, voodoo thing, down in New Orleans," Dean says nonchalantly.**

 **"** **Dad let you go on a hunting trip by yourself?"**

 **"** **I'm twenty-six, dude," Dean said, giving Sam a pointed look. Dean pulls some papers out of a folder. "All right, here we go. So Dad was checking out this two-lane blacktop just outside of Jericho, California. About a month ago, this guy." Dean hands one of the papers to Sam.**

Sam opened his mouth to say something about Dean hunting alone to his dad, but decided against it. Dean looked a little happier now, knowing that he had some independence and have gained some trust from John.

 **"** **They found his car, but he vanished. Completely MIA."**

 **The paper is a printout of an article from the Jericho Herald, headlined "Centennial Highway Disappearance" and dated Sept. 19th 2005; it has a man's picture, captioned "Andrew Carey MISSING." Sam reads it and glances up.**

 **"** **So maybe he was kidnapped," Sam tries to reason.**

"Seriously? You think dad would be after a person who kidnapped somebody?" Dean said. Sam shrugged, but looked slightly sheepish as he did so.

 **"** **Yeah. Well, here's another one in April. "Dean tosses down another Jericho Herald article for each date he mentions. "Another one in December 'oh-four, 'oh-three, 'ninety-eight, 'ninety-two, ten of them over the past twenty years."** **Dean takes the article back from Sam and picks up the rest of the stack, putting them back in the folder.** **"** **All men, all the same five-mile stretch of road." Dean pulls a bag out of another part of the arsenal.** **"** **It started happening more and more, so Dad went to go dig around. That was about three weeks ago. I hadn't heard from him since, which is bad enough." Dean grabs a handheld tape recorder. "Then I get this voicemail yesterday." He presses play. The recording is staticky and the signal was clearly breaking up.**

 **"** **Dean...something big is starting to happen...I need to try and figure out what's going on. It may... Be very careful, Dean. We're all in danger," John's voice comes over the recorder. Dean presses stop.**

John leaned forward into his seat, looking to be concentrating more on the case than on anything else. He seemed to be the least concerned about his future self out of all of them.

 **"** **You know there's EVP on that?" Sam says.**

"Good job, Sammy," Dean said, slapping Sam a little too hard on the back, but good naturedly.

 **"** **Not bad, Sammy. Kinda like riding a bike, isn't it?" Sam shakes his head.**

 **"** **All right. I slowed the message down, I ran it through a gold wave, took out the hiss, and this is what I got." He presses play again.**

 **"** **I can never go home..." A woman's voice, raspy, comes over the speaker.** **Dean presses stop.**

 **"** **Never go home," Sam repeats. Dean drops the recorder, puts down the shotgun, stands straight, and shuts the trunk, then leans on it.**

"What is that?" Sam asked, mimicking John in his concern in the case. Bobby and John shook their heads in unison, acting as if they had never heard of it before.

"Ghost?" Dean piped up, casting a glance into John's direction. John placed a hand on his chin, rubbing the small stubble in concentration.

"It's a possibility."

 **"** **You know, in almost two years I've never bothered you, never asked you for a thing," Dean starts again. Sam looks away and sighs, then looks back.**

"Two years?" Dean asked, this time actually surprised. Even John appeared surprised by this.

 **"** **All right. I'll go. I'll help you find him," Sam says. Dean nods.**

Dean felt torn at this, yeah sure he wanted Sammy to come with him, jus the tow of them, but Sam was happy, he had a girl and a life.

 **"** **But I have to get back first thing Monday. Just wait here." Sam turns to go back to the apartment. He turns back when Dean speaks.**

 **"** **What's first thing Monday?"**

 **"** **I have this...I have an interview," Sam says hesitantly.**

"Why are you so hesitant to tell us stuff?" Dean said.

 **"** **What, a job interview? Skip it."**

"That's probably why."

 **"** **It's a law school interview, and it's my whole future on a plate," Sam says.**

 **"** **Law school?" Dean smirks.**

 **"** **So we got a deal or not?" Sam says. Dean says nothing.**

 **APARTMENT**

 **INT. BEDROOM – NIGHT**

 **Sam is packing a duffel bag. He pulls out a large hook-shaped knife and slides it inside. Jess comes into the room.**

 **"** **Wait, you're taking off?" Jess questions. Sam looks up.**

 **"** **Is this about your dad? Is he all right?"**

 **"** **Yeah. You know, just a little family drama," Sam replies. Sam goes over to the dresser and turns on the lamp atop it.**

Bobby scoffed a little louder than he thought he did, and three heads turned his direction, one in confusion, but the other two in humor.

 **"** **Your brother said he was on some kind of hunting trip," Jess says. She sits on the bed. Sam rummages in one of the drawers and comes out with a couple shirts, which go in the duffel.**

 **"** **Oh, yeah, he's just deer hunting up at the cabin, he's probably got Jim, Jack, and José along with him. I'm just going to go bring him back," Sam says.**

John glowered at the statement, Sam could've picked a better cover.

 **"** **What about the interview?" Jess asks.**

 **"** **I'll make the interview. This is only for a couple days." Sam goes around the bed. Jess gets up and follows.**

 **"** **Sam, I mean, please," Jess protests.** **Sam stops and turns. "Just stop for a second. You sure you're okay?" Sam laughs a little.**

 **"** **I'm fine."**

 **"** **It's just...you won't even talk about your family. And now you're taking off in the middle of the night to spend a weekend with them? And with Monday coming up, which is kind of a huge deal."**

 **"** **Hey. Everything's going to be okay. I will be back in time, I promise," Sam said. He kisses her on the cheek and leaves.**

 **"** **At least tell me where you're going," Jess says, but receives no answer.**

Once again, Dean felt that twinge in his chest, something wasn't right.

 **CENTENNIAL HIGHWAY**

 **EXT. CENTENNIAL HIGHWAY – NIGHT**

 **Jericho, California**

 **The Eagles of Death Metal's "Speaking in Tongues" plays. A YOUNG MAN, Troy, is driving down the highway, talking on his cell phone.**

 **"** **Amy, I can't come over tonight. Because I've got work in the morning, that's why. ...Yeah, okay, I miss it and my dad's gonna have my ass," Tony says into the phone.** **A high-pitched whine sounds. Troy looks over and sees a woman in a white dress on the side of the road. She's moving as though dancing; she flickers, and for a moment she's gone. "Hey, ah, Amy, let me call you back?" Troy tries several times to turn off the radio, which is flickering. Nothing happens. Troy pulls up next to the woman, whose dress is torn in several places, and stops, leaning across the shotgun seat. "Car trouble or something?"**

"Oh no," Sam whispered.

 **"** **Take me home?" The woman says.** **The voice is the same one from the altered voicemail. Troy opens the passenger door.**

"It's the same girl from the tapes," Dean said, "What is she?"

 **"** **Sure, get in." The woman, who is barefoot, climbs in and closes the door. "So, where do you live?"**

 **"** **At the end of Breckenridge Road," the woman replies. Troy nods.**

 **"** **You coming from a Halloween party or something?" The woman's dress is very low-cut. Troy notices, stares, and looks away, laughing nervously.**

Sam casts a glance over at Dean, and catches his eye, which only warranted a soft, faux offended glare from him.

 **"** **You know, a girl like you really shouldn't be alone out here," Troy said. She looks at him mournfully, seductively, and pulls her skirt up over her thigh.**

 **"** **I'm with you." Troy looks away. The woman takes Troy's chin and turns his face towards her. "Do you think I'm pretty?" Troy nods, eyes stuck on her cleavage.**

Sam noisily gagged.

 **"** **Uh...huh."**

 **"** **Will you come home with me?" The woman says.**

 **"** **Um. Hell yeah." He drives off.**

 **EXT. ABANDONED HOUSE – NIGHT**

 **They pull up to an old abandoned house at the end of a road. The woman stares at it sadly.**

 **"** **Come on. You don't live here," Troy says.**

 **"** **I can never go home."**

 **"** **What are you talking about? Nobody even lives here. Where do you live?" Troy asks.** **He turns, and she's gone. He checks the back seat, also empty, and gets out of the car, nervous. "That's good. Joke's over, okay? You want me to leave?" Troy looks around: no signs of life except crickets. He walks towards the house. "Hello? Hello?" There's a picture of the woman and two children inside the house; the picture is covered in dust. Troy peers through the hole in the screen door. A bird flies at his face, scaring him into falling over. He yells, leaps to his feet, and runs back to the car. He gets in and drives off.**

 **"** Once again, is it a ghost?" Dean asked.

"I'm not sure yet, Dean," John said, slightly exasperated.

 **EXT. CENTENNIAL HIGHWAY – NIGHT**

 **Troy looks behind him—no one's there—then in the rearview mirror. The woman is in the back seat. TROY yells again and drives straight through a "Bridge Closed" sign, stopping about halfway across the bridge. He screams. Blood spatters the windows.**

Dean felt Sam jerk a little next to him, but nobody in the room said a word.

 **GAS STATION**

 **EXT. GAS STATION – DAY**

 **It is 1 Nov 2005. The Impala is parked in front of a pump. "Ramblin' Man" by the Allman Brothers plays. Dean comes out of the convenience mart carrying junk food. Sam is sitting in the shotgun seat with the door open, rifling through a box of tapes.**

 **"** **Hey!" Dean says. Sam leans out and looks at him. "You want breakfast?"**

 **"** **No, thanks."**

 **"** **So how'd you pay for that stuff?" Sam asks. "You and Dad still running credit card scams?"**

Dean and John looked at each other, somewhat sheepish.

 **"** **Yeah, well, hunting ain't exactly a pro ball career." Dean puts the nozzle back on the pump. "Besides, all we do is apply. It's not our fault they send us the cards."**

 **"** **Yeah? And what names did you write on the application this time?"** **Sam swings his legs back inside the car and closes the door.**

 **"** **Uh, Burt Aframian." Dean gets into the driver seat and puts his soda and chips down. "And his son Hector. Scored two cards out of the deal." Dean closes the door.**

 **"** **That sounds about right. I swear, man, you've gotta update your cassette tape collection," Sam says.**

"Hey!" Dean and John both said, and Dean slapped Sam in the shoulder. "Nobody disses my music."

 **There are at least a dozen cassettes in the box on Sam's lap; some have album art, others are hand-labeled.**

 **"** **Why?"**

 **"** **Well, for one, they're cassette tapes. And two." Sam holds up a tape for every band he names. "Black Sabbath? Motorhead? Metallica?" Dean takes the box labeled Metallica from Sam.**

 **"** And, what's wrong with that?"

"Next time in the car, Sam," John said, "I'm blasting the music all the way home." That was one of the first attempts at humor that either of the boys had heard from him in a long time, and Dean smiled a little.

 **"** **It's the greatest hits of mullet rock," Dean defended.**

 **"** **Well, house rules, Sammy." Dean pops the tape in the player. "Driver picks the music, shotgun shuts his cakehole." Dean drops the Metallica box back in the box of tapes and starts the engine.**

Dean smirks, and Sam scowls.

 **"** **You know, Sammy is a chubby twelve-year-old." AC/DC's "Back in Black" begins to play. "It's Sam, okay?"**

 **"** **Sorry, I can't hear you, the music's too loud."**

 **Dean drives off.**

 **Author's note two: Sorry, this is long overdue! I've picked about three or four episodes from this season to write next. But, it'll be a surprise! Special thanks to** **Phantom Ice, cyenthia 30, Tempermental18, the angel of darkness1, and Sissy VanderMeer. Your reviews are so greatly appreciated!**

 **See ya soon!**


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